Spanakopita on Steroids

So maybe I did butcher the traditional way of making Spanakopita….but this baby has extra oomph where the original lacks. Say hello to ground lamb and some parsley.

I thought I was so smart…

– As great as those cooking sprays are, do not use them as a shortcut for coating each layer of phyllo. They’ll leave an unpleasant “canned” smell ….although I wonder if the butter flavor ones will fair better than the olive oil kind I used. Here I go again….trying to cut corners. Butter is your best bet.

-If you don’t intend on sharing or consuming a good 8-10 spanakopitas, freeze the uncooked Spanakopitas.

Cook ground lamb in skillet until cooked thoroughly. Leave about 1/2 tbs of excess oil in pan and drain the rest. Add onions until softened. Mix in spinach, parsley, dill and flour. Cook approximately 10 minutes, or until most of the moisture has been absorbed. Remove from heat. Mix in feta cheese, eggs, salt and pepper

Lay one sheet of phyllo dough flat and brush with butter. Place another sheet on top and brush with butter again. Repeat the process until you reach 6-7 sheets.

Cut the phyllo dough into thirds (length-wise so the rectangle has the longest possible length). Place a small handful of the mixture onto each piece of dough . Fold phyllo into triangles around the mixture. Brush with butter to seal the ends. Repeat until all the dough or mixture runs out.

Place filled phyllo dough triangles on a large baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden brown